Sambridge leads Stratford home at Chedworth 10
THREE members of Stratford AC competed in the 19th staging of the Chedworth 10-mile multi-terrain race in the heart of the Cotswolds.
The race starts at Chedworth Village Hall near Cirencester and is run over tracks and woodland paths through the Stowell Park Estate and close to Chedworth Roman Villa.
First to finish for the club was Drew Sambridge, finishing in an impressive 30th place out of the 197 finishers, with a time of 1:14.54.
Next home was Andy Smith, who came home in 144th place, with a time of 1:33.38.
Finally, Rebecca Pridham was aiming for a sub-1:50 time, and beat it comfortably, clocking 1:42.22 (266th overall and 26th in age group).
Pridham said: “It was a race that had been on my list for a while, mainly due to the location and the stream crossing.
“My legs felt good, I started steadily and aimed for a good pace and running style on the day.
“I was delighted with the result.”
Sambridge had 24 hours earlier competed in the Longtown Llantony Fell Race, an event requiring competitors to carry full survival kit, including a compass, extra clothing and a map.
The 8.5-mile course also features an initial 2,000ft ascent in the opening two to three miles.
Sambridge finished 37th out of the 117 competitors.
STRATFORD racewalker Paul Hawkins claimed a new PB and set a club record at the Midland Race Walking Track Championships in Northampton.
Hawkins’ time of 30:35.28 also placed him 22nd on the UK’s all-time list.
“I kept a very even pace and held my form so no red cards and only one yellow warning at about half way,” said Hawkins.
“It wasn’t an age group race, but I was second M60.
“I just wanted to walk clean and get a good time as I knew I wasn’t going to get a medal.
“I aimed to get as close to 31 minutes as I could, so to get 30:35.28 was unexpectedly good.”
A COUPLE more Stratford AC members were out and about competing in various events at the weekend.
Neil Wicks ran the Great Welsh Marathon in a time of 2:50.18 to finish fourth out of 516 competitors.
Meanwhile, Emma Parkin competed in the Lake District at the Hawkshead 10k Trail run, finishing in 152nd place with a time of 1:19.08.
